Electrical Mystery. Please Help!

[Jake202085]

I have a 2001 Searay 190 Merc 5.0L Alpha One.
Winterized in the fall.... attached a fresh battery this spring. Turn the key...nothing. No accessories or anything. No life on the gauges. I have 12v going to the fuze card under the dash, but when I attach the wiring harness to the card the voltage drops to 2v. Seems like a short somewhere, but I just can’t find it. Please tell me this is something simple and stupid that I’m missing. I just want to get on the water! Thanks

 

[Jake202085]

I have a 2001 Searay 190 Merc 5.0L Alpha One.
Winterized in the fall.... attached a fresh battery this spring. Turn the key...nothing. No accessories or anything. No life on the gauges. I have 12v going to the fuze card under the dash, but when I attach the wiring harness to the card the voltage drops to 2v. Seems like a short somewhere, but I just can’t find it. Please tell me this is something simple and stupid that I’m missing. I just want to get on the water! Thanks

The card test ok, so I don’t believe it is the problem

 

[Bt Doctur]

more likely a bad ground or a loose battery connection

 

[ColoSR]

Sorry, I don't understand the 2V comment, do you have 12V on the hot wire at the fuse block? If so, I would take a look at the switch next, it would keep both the engine and gauges from energizing. There should be a wiring diagram in your owners manual.

 

[Jake202085]

more likely a bad ground or a loose battery connection

Checked and re-checked the battery connection. I’ll try to track down a bad ground. Thanks

 

[Espos4]

It’s very common to forget to attach one of the ground wires to the battery. Look around the wire harness at the battery and you may find the missing ground wire

 

[Jake202085]

Sorry, I don't understand the 2V comment, do you have 12V on the hot wire at the fuse block? If so, I would take a look at the switch next, it would keep both the engine and gauges from energizing. There should be a wiring diagram in your owners manual.

Finally traced it to the battery cutoff switch. Must have been making enough contact to show 12v at the fuse box hot wire, but as I attached the harness to the fuse box the hot wire would show 2v. Thanks for your input. I’m glad to be back in the water.

 

[ColoSR]

Great to hear!